Haas F1 Team Boss Guenther Steiner was over the moon with the squad’s performance at this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, which allowed them to bring home both drivers in the points, to enjoy one of their best weekends of the season so far.
Steiner commended his drivers, Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen, for putting in outstanding races, to allow them to achieve what the Italian says is their maximum performance at this moment in time.
“It’s a great result for the team. It’s our second time with two cars in the points.
“Both drivers drove a great race. It was flawless. It’s the best we can do and we did it. I’m very proud of everybody.”
The race weekend had initially looked like it would be another without points for Haas, after Grosjean qualified down in sixteenth place and Magnussen in thirteenth. Both drivers were bumped up the order however, due to the grid penalties of other drivers, seeing the Dane start from twelfth and the Frenchman from thirteenth on race day.
An excellent drive from both men, gave each a well-deserved top ten finish. Magnussen in particular was on a charge, making a bold move on Williams Martini Racing driver Felipe Massa on lap 42, which also opened the door for Grosjean to follow suit and move ahead of the Brazilian.
From there the duo easily held position to come home in eighth and ninth place, turning the weekend into a positive, and allowing them to move into seventh place in the constructor’s standings, one point ahead of the Renault Sport Formula 1 Team.
“It was a weekend that started badly. It was complex, but it ended well and that’s all that counts.”
